Mixed integer programming formulation for fault identification based on MicroPMUs

This article proposes a mixed integer linear programming (MILP)-based algorithm to estimate faults locations, types, and fault current magnitudes in unbalanced three-phase distribution networks. The proposed method requires voltage phasors prior to and during fault conditions. The measurements are collected by microPMUs at the end of the branches along with the bus impedance matrix. To assess the proposed technique's performance in fault location and current identification, different types of faults scenarios are considered. Balanced and unbalanced faults are examined on the IEEE 37-bus, the IEEE 123-bus, and 134-node real-life feeders. Efficiency of the proposed method is investigated on ungrounded systems, reduced microPMU number, different fault resistances, inaccurate bus impedance matrix, distributed generation penetration, and noisy measurement data. High accuracy rate is achieved by the proposed method in identifying fault locations, types, and current magnitudes.